Echoflame
by BurningTrashPile
Summary: Echopaw has a gift. He can list herbs and their effects effortlessly. ThunderClan's medicine cat thinks that Echopaw must put that talent to use and be a medicine cat himself. Echopaw can't bring himself to say no. Now he's being pestered by an annoying StarClan cat, forced to do things he'd rather not by an unsympathetic mentor, and he doesn't know his destiny anymore.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Rushingriver!" Echokit bounced into the medicine den. "Can I help you? Please?" Rushingriver, the medicine cat for ThunderClan, was sorting herbs, and looked up in annoyance at Echokit's voice.

"No, Echokit," Rushingriver replied. "I'm fine." Echokit frowned.

"But I'm _bored! _And all Mintkit and Owlkit want to do is play with a snail they found," he complained. Rushingriver rolled his eyes and went back to sorting his herbs.

"Why don't you play with the snail, too?" He asked, tail twitching in irritation. "I have herbs to sort and I don't want any _kits _bothering me."

"I can help you sort herbs!" Echokit insisted. "I'd rather help you than help the apprentices by putting mouse bile on the elder's ticks." He shuddered at the thought. "I'll have enough time to do that in a couple of days, when _I'm _an apprentice."

"If you want to help me so much, why don't you just become a medicine apprentice," Rushingriver muttered.

"Ew, no!" Echokit squeaked. "I want to help you, but I don't want to smell of herbs all the time! And don't you have to have a special connection with StarClan to be a medicine apprentice?" Rushingriver grunted.

"Why are you putting coltsfoot and dandelions in the same pile?" Echokit asked. Rushingriver blinked.

"Oh, right," he meowed, moving the coltsfoot into a seperate pile. "Thanks, Echoki-" Rushingriver turned to look at Echokit. "Wait, how'd you know this was coltsfoot? You're a kit." Echokit shrugged.  
"I thought everybody knew the difference between coltsfoot and dandelions. It's not _that _hard to tell them apart," He mewed, flicking his tail dismissively. Rushingriver gaped at him. "What?" Echokit asked self-consciously. "Did I do something wrong?"

Rushingriver shook his head in amazement. "Even _I _didn't realize that I accidentally put coltsfoot in the dandelion pile. And you're not even six moons old yet!"

"I'm _almost_ six moons old," Echokit mumbled. Rushingriver flicked his tail dismissively.

"Doesn't matter," he meowed. "The point is that you knew, and I didn't, and I've been a medicine cat for moons!"

"Really, Rushingriver, any other cat would be able to tell," Echokit insisted. "I'm not special."

But Rushingriver didn't listen to him. He was muttering to himself. "I mixed up coltsfoot and dandelion _again, _and this time it was a _kit _who corrected me… I'm a terrible medicine cat. I could use an apprentice…" Echokit blinked in confusion. He didn't know what Rushingriver was talking about with "mixing up coltsfoot and dandelion again", but he was pretty sure that Rushingriver wanted _him _to be his apprentice!

"You can't really want _me _to be your apprentice, can you?" Echokit interrupted. Rushingriver stopped mumbling and glanced at him.

"Of course I do!" He meowed.

"All because I know the difference between two simple healing herbs?" Echokit asked, startled.

"Of course, I can always test you on other herbs. For example," he started, "What is watermint used for?"

"Bellyaches," Echokit answered automatically. Then his eyes widened. "I-I mean-"

"Good," Rushingriver praised him, ignoring Echokit. "What are ragwort leaves for?" Echokit hesitated. He knew the answer, of course, but he didn't want Rushingriver to have more reason to want him as his apprentice. _I'd much rather be a warrior than a medicine cat, _Echokit thought. Rushingriver cleared his throat, bringing Echokit back from his thoughts. "Do you know the answer?" He asked patiently.

"Aching joints!" he blurted. "Oh, why did I say that?" he muttered. Rushingriver's eyes were glittering with happiness.

"And what can I use to treat rat bites?" He asked eagerly. Echokit sighed.

"Burdock root, definitely, you could use wild garlic, dried oak leaf, nettle stems or marigold to stop infection from setting in, horsetail to help stop the bleeding, honey, sweet-sedge or horsetail if the bites are already infected, you could use dandelion to act like a painkiller, you can use comfrey root to soothe the wound, yarrow, wintergreen, wild garlic or tormentil, if the rat bite was poisonous, willow bark to ease the pain, and when you're doing using all the appropriate herbs, of course you need to use cobwebs," Echokit let the herbs fly easily from his mouth. He didn't even try to stop the look of pure joy on Rushingriver's face.

"I haven't even heard of half those herbs!" the medicine cat cried. "Wonderful! I must go tell Frecklestar!" He rushed out of the medicine den.

"No, don't tell Frecklestar!" Echokit shouted after him, but Rushingriver was already too far away to hear him. "Oh, StarClan, please don't make me be a medicine apprentice." He padded helplessly out of the medicine den and over to the entrance of the nursery, where Owlkit and Mintkit were still busy attacking the snail.

Owlkit was the first to look up from the snail. He wrinkled his nose as his brother approached them. "You smell of herbs," he complained. Mintkit looked up to see who Owlkit was talking to.

"Oh, hi, Echokit!" he mewed cheerfully. "Were you in the medicine den? Are you sick?" he asked nervously, sniffing him. "You don't _smell _sick. But I wouldn't really be able to tell, the smell of herbs covers it up."

"I'm not sick, Mintkit," he reassured his brother. "I was just bored."

"Why didn't you practice pouncing on this snail with us?" Owlkit asked, almost suspiciously. "You don't want to be a medicine cat, do you?" He sounded shocked, almost betrayed. "We have to be warriors! Training wouldn't be the same without you."

"Of course I don't _want _to be a medicine cat!" Echokit mewed indignantly. "Who actually _wants _to be a medicine cat? But I'm not sure I have a choice… Rushingriver seems to think I _have _to be a medicine cat." Owlkit looked relieved that Echokit didn't like the idea of abandoning them.

"Maybe if Rushingriver thinks you should be one, you should," Mintkit suggested. Owlkit shoved him.

"Of course he shouldn't," he meowed. "Have you got bees in your brain? Just because _Rushingriver _says he should doesn't mean he has to. I mean, he should at least get a _choice _in the matter." Echokit was happy that Owlkit was supporting him, but part of him agreed with Mintkit.

"Rushingriver has been the medicine cat for a while, so he probably knows what he's talking about," Echokit sighed. "Maybe I _should _listen to him…" Owlkit looked crestfallen for a moment, but he nodded his head and the sadness faded from his eyes.

"If you think that's the right choice, then I guess I can't argue," he mumbled. "Even if you are going to be a medicine cat, you'll still need to know how to pounce, right?" His eyes glittered mischievously.

"I already told you, I don't want to play with the snai-" Echokit began, but Owlkit interrupted before he could finish.

"Oh, I'm not talking about the snail," he meowed, tail twitching playfully. "I'm talking about Mintkit!" He leaped on top of Mintkit, claws sheathed. Mintkit let out a squeak of surprise as Owlkit landed on him. Echokit smiled and jumped on, too. The combined weight of the two of them knocked Mintkit to the ground.

"Hey! That's not fair! There's two of you and only one of me!" Mintkit wailed.

"Then ask Robinkit to help you!" Owlkit told him.

"No way!" Mintkit's eyes widened. "She's a _girl!_" But before Mintkit even had a chance to consider asking Robinkit for assistance, Rushingriver ran over. Echokit quickly got off of Mintkit. _Maybe Frecklestar said no, _he thought hopefully. But his hope quickly faded as he saw the thrilled look on Rushingriver's face.

"She said yes, didn't she?" Echokit mewed quietly.

"She said yes!" Rushingriver's eyes were gleaming with excitement. "I'm going to have an apprentice!" But then he noticed the disappointed look Echokit's face and his excitement ebbed. "You… really don't want to be my apprentice, do you?" he asked, sounding a little hurt. Echokit couldn't bear to hear the medicine cat so sad.

"I don't mind," he lied. _It can't be _that _bad being a medicine cat…_


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days, Echokit tried his hardest to stay away from the medicine den. _If I'm going to be stuck in there from now on, I might as well enjoy my last few days of freedom…_

But eventually the day of the apprentice ceremony came. A prod in his side woke Echokit. "What gives?" he demanded, rolling over in his nest to see who had woken him. But nobody was there. "Must have imagined it…" he muttered, closing his eyes again. But the prod in his side came again, sharper this time. Echokit leaped from his nest, tail twitching in annoyance. "Come out!" He cried. "Don't hide from me!" _It was probably just Owlkit playing a prank on me… _he thought, but looking around, he realized he was alone in the nursery.

"Owlkit!" he muttered angrily, curling up in his nest again, but instead of trying to go to sleep again, he kept one eye open for the cat who kept poking him. After a while, he saw an unfamiliar white she-cat slip into the nursery. _Who's she? I've never seen her in ThunderClan before… _Before she could prod him again, he leapt to his paws. The she-cat didn't react much, just blinked.

"Good. I thought you fell asleep again," she meowed vaguely.

"Who are you? And why do you keep poking me and running away?" Echokit demanded. The she-cat flicked her tail dismissively.

"That doesn't matter. I can tell you're still unsure about your apprenticeship. I've come to tell you-" she began.

"How do you know that?" Echokit asked suspiciously. The she-cat sighed.

"I'm Blizzardleaf," she meowed, as if that explained everything. "I've come to tell you that-"

"Wait, wasn't Blizzardleaf Rushingriver's mentor?" Echokit interrupted.

"Yes," she replied. "I've come to tell you that-"

"Are you from StarClan?" Echokit asked excitedly. Blizzardleaf's fur bristled.

"YES! Now can I please finish what I'm trying to say?" She shouted. Echokit blinked in surprise. Blizzardleaf forced her fur to lie flat before clearing her throat. "I've come to tell you that you are destined to be ThunderClan's next medicine cat." _Well, duh, _Echokit thought. _That's how being a medicine cat apprentice works… _Blizzardleaf could obviously tell what Echokit was thinking because she meowed, "StarClan has decided that your destiny is to be a medicine cat. I'm only telling you this because you still seemed hesitant to be Rushingriver's apprentice."

"You seem pretty different from how Rushingriver describes StarClan cats. He says they're super vague, but you're super straight to the point," Echokit mewed.

"Yeah, well… whatever," Blizzardleaf grunted. Then she and the rest of the nursery began to fade.

"Bye!" Echokit cried before it disappeared altogether. Then he blinked and he was back in the real nursery. His mother, Mossyspots, Owlkit and Mintkit were still asleep, but Robinkit wasn't in her nest. Echokit stretched and yawned and padded out of the nursery. Robinkit was crouching beside the entrance to the nursery and eating a squirrel.

"Isn't that stale?" Echokit asked. Robinkit jumped. "Sorry," Echokit muttered. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"That's okay," Robinkit mewed. "Yeah, it's a bit stale, but when we're apprenticed we can just catch more fresh-kill." She licked her lips. "It'll taste even better if _I'm _the one who catches it."

"Uh… yeah," Echokit muttered. "I'm sure it will." Robinkit stared at him curiously.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I'm supposed to be a medicine cat, actually," Echokit told her.

"Oh!" Robinkit mewed in surprise. "I didn't know that. Well, no matter! You can have some of the fresh-kill _I _catch!" Echokit smiled.

"Thanks," he meowed cheerfully, but he didn't really feel as happy as he sounded. _I just want to be a warrior… But if it's what StarClan wants… _


	3. Chapter 3

"Echokit!" Echokit looked up from where he was laying on a sunny rock to see Rushingriver bounding over to him. "Echokit, Frecklestar says it's time for the apprentice ceremony." Echokit smiled feebly at him. He jumped off the rock and padded slowly over to the Highrock. His legs were shaking and it was hard to stand. _It shouldn't be this hard. I'm going to finally be an apprentice! That's a good thing, right? _

Frecklestar leaped up on the Highrock. Echokit sat down, trembling slightly. Frecklestar cleared her throat and called, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the high rock for a clan meeting!" _This is it, _Echokit thought as Owlkit and Mintkit sat next to him. Robinkit padded over to the three of them and smiled encouragingly at Echokit. Echokit tried to return the smile, but it ended up as more of a scowl.

"Owlkit**, **you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed," Frecklestar began. Owlkit straightened up proudly at being the first to get his apprentice name. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Owlpaw. Your mentor will be Parsleyshine. I hope Parsleyshine will pass down all she knows on to you." Owlpaw glanced at Parsleyshine, who was beaming.

"Parsleyshine**, **you are ready to take on an apprentice," Frecklestar continued, addressing Parsleyshine. "You have received excellent training from Meadowmoon, and you have shown yourself to be loyal to your friends and your Clan. You will be the mentor of Owlpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him." Echokit watched as Parsleyshine and Owlpaw touched noses and joined in while the Clan chanted his new name.

Echokit zoned out while Frecklestar repeated the process with Mintkit, who was apprenticed to Lightdawn, and Robinkit, who was apprenticed to Mousepounce. "Mintpaw! Robinpaw!" Echokit shouted with the rest of ThunderClan. Finally, it was Echokit's turn.

"Echokit**, **you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed," Frecklestar meowed, smiling at him. Robinpaw nudged him excitedly.

"You're going to be a medicine cat!" She whispered.

"Just a medicine apprentie," Echokit corrected her. "It's going to be a _looong _time before I'm a full medicine cat." _Longer than I want…_

"From this day on, until you receive your name, you will be known as Echopaw," Frecklestar continued, "Your mentor will be Rushingriver." Many heads turned to look at Echokit.

"New medicine apprentice," Echokit heard a cat behind him whisper. He didn't bother looking to see who it was. He didn't care.

"I hope Rushingriver will pass down all he knows on to you," Frecklestar finished. _Well, there's no going back now, _Echokit thought, looking around at all the excited faces. _I can't disappoint my Clan. _Rushingriver looked at him, eyes glittering with emotion. Echokit got to his paws shakily and touched noses with him.

"Echopaw! Echopaw!" The Clan chanted his name loudly. Mintpaw and Owlpaw were chanting the loudest of all. Mossyspots ran over to them and meowed,

"You're going to be a medicine cat? Why didn't you tell me? This is great!"

"Can we go to the medicine den?" Echopaw whispered to Rushingriver.

"But they're not done celebrating yet," Rushingriver replied, looking confused.

"I can't stay here," Echopaw pleaded. Rushingriver sighed. But he flicked his tail for Echopaw to follow him and padded to the medicine den. When they got inside, Echopaw instantly felt better. He took a deep breath. "I don't know if I can do this, Rushingriver," he mumbled.

"Calm down, Echopaw," Rushingriver meowed. "I could also give you some herbs to help calm you down if you want." Echopaw nodded gratefully. Rushingriver went to the place where he had been sorting herbs the day that Owlpaw and Mintpaw found the snail. He grabbed some thyme and juniper berries. He wrapped them up in some leaves so they would be easier to carry and brought them to Echopaw.  
"Thanks," Echopaw muttered before eating the juniper berries. He sighed. "I probably don't need the thyme, the juniper berries were enough." Rushingriver didn't even look surprised that Echopaw knew what the herbs were called, just nodded and brought the thyme back to the herb store.

"You know," Rushingriver meowed as he was putting the thyme away, "Tomorrow is half-moon, so it was actually great timing for you to begin your apprenticeship today."

"What?!" Echopaw exclaimed. "That is _not _great timing! The other medicine cats will think I'm stupid! There's hardly any time between now and tomorrow night for me to learn anything!" He wailed. He laid down on the medicine den floor, curling his tail over his nose with a sigh.

"They won't think you're stupid," Rushingriver scoffed. "You're the smartest cat I've ever met."

"Smarter than Blizzardleaf?" Echopaw asked. Rushingriver hesitated. "See, I'm an idiot!" Echopaw cried. "You're hesitating!"

"It's not that-" Rushingriver began.

"Then what is it?" Echopaw demanded, getting to his paws angrily. Rushingriver sighed.

"You're definitely smarter than Blizzardleaf. I hope she doesn't mind me saying that," he muttered. "It's just that… Blizzardleaf and I… didn't have the best… relationship?" Echopaw forced his fur to lie flat, although he wasn't sure if he believed Rushingriver. _What if he's just saying that so I feel better about tomorrow? _He wondered, laying down on the ground again and closing his eyes with a sigh. Then he felt a tail wrapped around his shoulders. _Oh, please, don't let Rushingriver be trying to _comfort _me! _But when he opened his eyes, it wasn't Rushingriver who was sitting there, it was Blizzardleaf.


	4. Chapter 4

Her eyes sparkled sympathetically. Echopaw blinked, then glanced at Rushingriver. He was sorting herbs again and didn't even seem to notice Blizzardleaf was there. "Why are you here?" Echopaw asked quietly, so that Rushingriver wouldn't think he was talking to himself. "I'm doing what you said, I've become his apprentice." Blizzardleaf nodded.

"That you did," she remarked. "You know, to be honest, I didn't really know if you would listen to me." Echopaw felt a little hurt by her words, even though he hardly knew the dead medicine cat. "But I'm very happy that you did. I trust Rushingriver will teach you many things. And even though he seems a little secretive, I'm sure he will open up in time."

"Why do you keep visiting me?" Echopaw asked. "I'm nobody special, just another medicine cat. No offense," he added quickly, realizing who he was speaking to. But Blizzardleaf didn't look offended. In fact, she let out a _mrrow _of amusement.

"Actually, it's the opposite of what you think. Just because I'm a StarClan cat doesn't make me important," She meowed. "_I'm _the one who's 'just another medicine cat', and you, although you won't accept it yet, are going to prove very special." Echopaw still wasn't sure he trusted what Blizzardleaf was saying, but he decided not to argue.

"Okay," he whispered. "I should probably see if Rushingriver needs any help sorting herbs…" Blizzardleaf dipped her head in farewell, and began to fade. Echopaw padded over to Rushingriver and cleared his throat. "Um… do you need help?" He asked awkwardly. Rushingriver looked happy to see him.

"I'd be very grateful if you could finish sorting the herbs I gathered yesterday," he meowed. "I think I'll ask Frecklestar if I can go on a hunting patrol…"

"Wait, medicine cats can go on hunting patrols?" Echopaw exclaimed.

"Sure," Rushingriver meowed. "We can go hunting later if you'd like. You might already know everything there is to know about herbs, but I can probably teach you a thing or two about hunting and fighting. Medicine cats still need to eat and protect themselves." Echopaw grinned.

"That'd be great! Thanks, Rushingriver." Rushingriver flicked his tail dismissively and padded out of the medicine den, leaving Echopaw to sort the pile of herbs by himself. He sorted for a while, and when he was finished he had small piles of borage, burnet, dock, lavender, broom, and catmint. _Well, what do I do now? _Echopaw wondered. _What do medicine cats even _do _when there's no sick or injured cats?_

He padded out of the medicine den, hoping one of his denmates was at camp and not out exploring ThunderClan territory. _If they're _not _here, then I can just go explore. It will be _my _first time exploring ThunderClan territory, too. _Echopaw looked around the camp. The only cats in camp were Meadowmoon, his mate, Birdstripe, and Thistlewhisker, ThunderClan's deputy. Meadowmoon and Birdstripe were sharing a squirrel by the elders' den. They had moved there a quarter moon ago. Thistlewhisker was sitting by Frecklestar's den and looking bored. _I suppose he has nothing to do, either. _

Echopaw decided not to check the apprentices' den. Mousepounce, Lightdawn, and Parsleyshine weren't in camp, so Mintpaw, Owlpaw, and Robinpaw probably weren't either.

Echopaw padded over to the deputy. "Hey, Thistlewhisker!" He mewed cheerfully. "What are you doing?" Thistlewhisker grunted.

"Nothing much," he replied. "Frecklestar's out hunting and she told me to 'guard the camp'." He sneered. "'Guard the camp'. Who does she think she's kidding? Nobody's going to _attack_." Then he blinked and looked down at Echopaw. "Sorry," He muttered. "How's your first day of apprenticeship been going so far?"

Echopaw hesitated. "It's been… interesting." Thistlewhisker purred.

"I remember when I first became an apprentice," he meowed. "I was so excited to hunt and fight for my Clan-" Then he seemed to realize he was taking to the medicine cat apprentice and cleared his throat. "Of course, you might do some of that stuff, but you'll probably be super busy with like, healing cats."

"Yeah…" Echopaw mumbled. Thistlewhisker realized that he had said the wrong thing and tried to correct himself.

"Um, what I meant to say was-"

"No, no, it's fine, Thistlewhisker," Echopaw interrupted. "I'm sure I'll love being a medicine cat apprentice once I get used to it." Thistlewhisker seemed sincerely sorry. "I think I'll go see if I can find Rushingriver."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Thistlewhisker called after him as he started padding to the camp entrance to leave. "It'll be your first time out of camp."

"I'll be okay, thanks!" Echopaw replied without turning around. "After all, you have a camp to guard." His whiskers twitched with amusement as he heard Thistlewhisker grumbling to himself about how unfair being deputy was.


	5. Chapter 5

Echopaw jumped as he heard a voice behind him.

"You don't really know where you're going, do you?" Echopaw sighed.

"You don't have to keep coming," Echopaw meowed as Blizzardleaf began trotting next to him. "This is the third time today you've visited me. I think I can manage on my own."

"It's a big territory," Blizzardleaf told him, ignoring his protests. "You don't have to act all… I don't know… important, I guess?" Echopaw scoffed.

"I thought you said I _was _important," he meowed.

"I couldn't find the right word, okay? Just cause I'm dead doesn't make me perfect," Blizzardleaf muttered. "And just cause you're 'important' doesn't mean you have to go charging into danger."

"I'm not in danger," Echopaw argued. "This is ThunderClan territory. It's not like I'm running into ShadowClan camp and attacking their leader." Blizzardleaf rolled her eyes.

"You could run off a cliff or something," She meowed.

"Since when are there cliffs in ThunderClan?" Echopaw asked.

"You could fall into a river," She suggested.

"We're nowhere _near _a river. This isn't RiverClan."

"A really big puddle?"

"Hasn't rained in at least a quarter moon."

"There could be badgers! Or foxes! Or dogs! Or an invasion from another Clan!" Blizzardleaf shouted. "It doesn't matter what you're in danger of, you're just in danger, and you should turn around and go home and be patient until Rushingriver actually gives you a tour of the territory." Echopaw stopped walking. Blizzardleaf was panting from all the yelling.

"Are you okay? Do StarClan cats get sick?" He asked. "I could get you some coltsfoot to ease your breathing. I know we have some, Rushingriver was just sorting some the other day." Blizzardleaf flicked her tail dismissively, although she looked impressed at his knowledge of herbs.

"Goodness, you are smart," she meowed after catching her breath. "I thought it was just luck the other day."

"Luck? Do you think I could list 15 different herbs and list the effects of 17 from _luck_?" Echopaw let out a _mrrow _of laughter.

"Since when did you get so confident? Just earlier today you were practically dying all because of your Clan congratulating you on becoming an apprentice," Blizzardleaf asked.

"Since I left camp," he remarked. "I guess StarClan is guiding my paws or something. No 'danger' is going to stop me."

"StarClan is certainly not 'guiding your paws'," Blizzardleaf mumbled. "You're just getting cocky because nothing's happened yet. Emphasis on the yet." Echopaw rolled his eyes. Just then, a cat burst from a bush nearby and tackled Echopaw to the ground. Blizzardleaf vanished.

"Wait, Blizzardleaf! I don't know anything about fighting!" Echopaw wailed. "Don't go!" But the cat who had tackled him wasn't attacking him. Echopaw blinked. "Rushingriver?" He gasped. "What are you doing? Get off me!" He struggled to get out from under his mentor's paws.

"What are you doing out of camp?" Rushingriver demanded. "You could get seriously hurt! What if a fox or a badger turned up? You can't fight! You still have kit fluff!" Echopaw stopped struggling as guilt flooded him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. You _and _Blizzardleaf," he muttered, hating to admit the she-cat was correct. Rushingriver immediately loosened his grip.

"Did you say Blizzardleaf?" He asked. Echopaw threw Rushingriver off while his mentor was distracted. He smoothed his ruffled fur before answering.

"Yes, I said Blizzardleaf." Rushingriver stared blankly at him.

"_Blizzardleaf?_" He asked again.

"_Yes._" Echopaw scowled. "Both of you are so worried about me and I don't understand why. If I were a warrior apprentice, I wouldn't have to be afraid of badgers or foxes because I would actually know how to fight." But Rushingriver wasn't listening.

"Was Blizzardleaf… _with _you?" He asked.

"Yeah. And she wouldn't leave. It was kind of annoying, actually," Echopaw replied. "'Danger this, and danger that'."

"You… saw _Blizzardleaf?_"

"Great StarClan, yes! It was Blizzardleaf! She's visited me three times today. I don't know why." Echopaw didn't mention that she thought he was special. Rushingriver would probably just make fun of him. _Of course I'm not special. Blizzardleaf is just crazy. _"I've actually talked to her more than you today."

"I don't understand," Rushingriver whispered, pacing back and forth.

"Me neither," Echopaw muttered under his breath.

"Three times?" Rushingriver asked. Echopaw nodded. "Why?" Echopaw sighed.

"I _told _you, I don't _know _why. Now can we just go back to camp?" He asked. Rushingriver blinked.

"Oh, yeah," He meowed, as though he had suddenly realized they were still sitting in the middle of the forest. "Follow me." He flicked his tail for Echopaw to follow him. Echopaw gladly followed.


	6. Chapter 6

When they reached camp, the moon was already starting to rise. "I know you probably want to talk more about Blizzardleaf," Echopaw started before Rushingriver could say anything, "But I just want to go to bed. I'm tired." Rushingriver nodded silently and padded towards the medicine den. "Is it alright if I spend the night in the apprentices' den tonight? So I can talk to Mintpaw and Owlpaw about their first days as apprentices?" He called after the medicine cat.

"Sure!" Rushingriver called back before disappearing inside the medicine den. Echopaw dragged his paws over to the apprentices' den and forced himself to go inside before collapsing into a nest. It was so warm that he almost fell asleep, but he wanted to talk to his brothers. He waited for them for only a short amount of time. They both came in at the same time, followed by Robinpaw. She was yawning, but his brothers looked full of energy.

"That was great!" Owlpaw meowed, flexing his claws. "What are you doing in here, Echopaw? Don't you sleep in the medicine den with Rushingriver?" Echopaw nodded.

"Rushingriver said I could sleep here tonight. I wanted to ask you about your days," he replied.

"They were amazing!" Owlpaw told him, answering for all three of them. They had obviously trained together, and Echopaw felt a little left out. _You're not allowed to be lonely. You're supposed to be a medicine cat. StarClan says you do. _"Parsleyshine is the best! She-"

"No, Lightdawn is the best," Mintpaw interrupted.

"I think Pouncemouse is pretty cool," Robinpaw argued.

"Don't fight," Echopaw meowed in exasperation before they could argue any more. "It's a good thing you like your mentors, but you don't need to fight about who's the _best _mentor."

"What are you talking about?" Echopaw looked up in surprise as the two older apprentices padded in the den. "And what are _you _doing here? You're a medicine apprentice," Goldenpaw meowed.

"Yeah, that's _my _nest," Flashpaw told him, narrowing his eyes.

"There are plenty of other nests in here," Echopaw mewed, shocked at his tone. "This is only one of them."

"Yeah, but it's _mine,_" Flashpaw growled, as if that made it special.

"What's so great about this specific nest?" Echopaw asked.

"Nothing. It's mine, and that's all that matters, so get out." Flashpaw unsheathed his claws. Echopaw's eyes widened. Goldenpaw stared at Flashpaw in astonishment, as though she couldn't believe her denmate was getting so upset over a nest.

"Hey!" Robinpaw hissed. "Respect your medicine cat!" Her tail was lashing, and she bared her teeth bravely at the rude apprentice.

"Ha. I bet you know, like, _one _fighting move, if any," Flashpaw retorted. "Plus, he's only an apprentice. Not the actual medicine cat." Robinpaw stomped over to stand right in front of him. She looked him straight in the eyes and snarled,

"Back off." Flashpaw seemed so startled by this that he took a few steps back, tripping over his tail in the process. He sheathed his claws and licked his chest fur in embarrassment.

"I suppose you can have the nest," he muttered.

"Really, Robinpaw, I don't mind moving," Echopaw murmured, in awe of her bravery.

"No. He shouldn't treat you like that just because we're younger than him," she mewed, padding back over to them.

"She's right, Flashpaw," Goldenpaw meowed. "Just cause we're older doesn't automatically give us all the authority."

"It's _my _nest," Flashpaw mumbled, curling up in the nest farthest away from them.

"Sorry about him," Goldenpaw apologized. "I think he's just upset because I caught more fresh-kill than him." She purred with amusement before laying down in the nest next to him.

"So, you were saying something about Parsleyshine?" Echopaw meowed, turning to Owlpaw.

"Shut up!" Flashpaw growled. "I'm trying to sleep!" Owlpaw gazed at Echopaw sympathetically.

"I know it must be hard having to train without us, but can we talk about this tomorrow?" he whispered. "I'm really tired from training." He yawned to prove his point. Echopaw nodded and watched as Owlpaw, Mintpaw, and Robinpaw each chose a nest and curled up.

"Goodnight," Robinpaw murmured.

"Goodnight," Echopaw mumbled. It felt like his heart was being torn in two.


	7. Chapter 7

Echopaw was the first to wake up. He was happy to see that Blizzardleaf wasn't there. He didn't want to talk to the medicine cat. He stretched and padded out of the apprentices' den. _Maybe it would've been better if I'd just slept where I was supposed to, _he thought. _Then Flashpaw wouldn't have gotten so angry, and I wouldn't have to feel so jealous of my brothers… _Part of Echopaw knew it wasn't good to envy his brothers, but he wasn't used to being alone. He had always been with Mintpaw, Owlpaw, and Robinpaw. It felt _wrong _without them. _Any cat would be jealous… _

He picked a sparrow from the fresh-kill pile and settled down to eat it. _Frecklestar wouldn't mind _too _much if I decided I'd rather be a warrior, would she? _Echopaw wondered. _It's only the second day of my apprenticeship. If I wait much longer, I would have a ton of catching up to do. _But then Echopaw thought of how crestfallen Rushingriver would be, and decided he had to be a medicine cat. Besides, if he _did_ transfer to a warrior apprentice, Blizzardleaf would just pester him until he either went crazy or changed back.

_Maybe Rushingriver will teach me some fighting moves today, _Echopaw thought hopefully as he took a large bite from the sparrow. _I hope so. Maybe we can even train with Lightdawn, Pouncemouse, and Parsleyshine! _He spit out a mouthful of feathers. _Ugh, why'd I choose a sparrow? These things are nothing but feathers… _

"Hey, are you going to finish that?" For a second, Echopaw thought Blizzardleaf was back, but it was just Goldenpaw. Echopaw shook his head and backed away from the sparrow, letting her crouch to eat. "Thanks," she mumbled around a mouthful of sparrow. "Sorry again about Flashpaw's behavior last night." Echopaw flicked his tail dismissively.

"No problem. It was my fault, anyway, for not moving when he asked me to," he meowed.

"No, it wasn't," Goldenpaw argued, swallowing. "He sleeps in a different nest every night. He was just trying to be difficult. He could've chose to just leave you alone in the first place, but he just _had _to argue." Echopaw blinked in surprise. _A different nest every night? _His tail twitched with annoyance. _It had nothing to _do _with me! _"Don't be mad at him, though," Goldenpaw meowed, guessing what he was thinking. "I think he's just been stressed lately. StarClan knows why, but I'm pretty sure he's been getting less and less sleep."

"Is he getting sick?" Echopaw wondered aloud. Goldenpaw looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Perhaps," she replied. "Rushingriver could check him out. Or you," She added quickly.

"I don't know anything about how to tell if cats are sick," Echopaw told her. "I just know about herbs. Rushingriver didn't really teach me anything yet. Just made me sort a bunch of herbs for him." Goldenpaw looked sympathetic.

"That sounds boring," she murmured.

"It's fine," he lied. "I like being a medicine apprentice." Goldenpaw gazed at him suspiciously, but didn't ask any questions, just took another bite of the sparrow. "In fact," Echopaw meowed, getting to his paws. "I should go see if Rushingriver needs any help." He padded quickly to the medicine den, uncomfortable under Goldenpaw's curious gaze.

"Good morning, Echopaw," Rushingriver greeted him when he padded in the entrance. "How'd you sleep?" His eyes glittered hopefully. _Wonder what he's thinking about. _

"Fine," Echopaw answered.

"Any… dreams?" Rushingriver asked. _Oh, that's what. _

"No, not any visions or anything, if that's what your thinking. I haven't seen any StarClan cats other than Blizzardleaf," Echopaw replied.

"Oh well," Rushingriver sighed. "We're going to the Moonstone tonight, anyway, so…" Echopaw drew in a sharp breath.

"Oh yeah, tonight's half-moon," he mewed. "Great…" Rushingriver glanced sternly at him.

"You're not an idiot," he told him.

"That's not it." Echopaw shuffled his paws. "What if StarClan is wrong? What if I'm not supposed to be a medicine cat? What if when we go to the Moonstone tonight, I don't have any dreams? I'll make a fool of myself, and all the other medicine cats will make fun of me. Maybe I only see Blizzardleaf because I did something wrong and she's my annoying punishment-"

"Echopaw," Rushingriver interrupted. "You're going to do fine. I can already tell." He gazed proudly at Echopaw. "You're going to do great things as a medicine cat, Echopaw." Echopaw licked his chest fur in embarrassment.

"Actually, Blizzardleaf said the same thing," he admitted.

"She did?" Rushingriver sounded surprised.

"Yeah," Echopaw meowed. "She said I'm special. But I don't know…"

"Well, if StarClan is already saying you're special when you're only a day into your apprenticeship, then you're obviously going to be."

"I think Flashpaw is sick," Echopaw blurted. He felt uncomfortable with the way Rushingriver was looking at him. "He was being a jerk last night, and Goldenpaw says he's been like that for a while."

"Some cats are just like that," Rushingriver meowed, flicking his tail dismissively.

"But Goldenpaw said he's not been getting sleep, and he seems really stressed-"

"Would you like to practice your hunting crouch?" Rushingriver interrupted, ignoring him.

"Well, yes, but Flashpaw-"

"Then let's go." Rushingriver padded past him and out of the medicine den, leaving Echopaw to stare helplessly after him. _He seriously can't be ignoring a cat that might be sick? _He wondered. _He's supposed to be the one who helps sick cats, but instead he wants to teach me how to hunt?! _

"I'm sorry, Rushingriver, but I can't practice right now," he muttered determinedly.


	8. Chapter 8

"Flashpaw?" Echopaw whispered, tentatively poking his head inside the apprentices' den. Flashpaw's only reply was to roll over in his nest and grunt. "Flashpaw," Echopaw meowed more loudly, padding over to him. He poked the sleeping apprentice, who hissed at him. "Wake up." _Ugh, where's Goldenpaw when you need her? _

Flashpaw rolled on his back so that his belly was facing Echopaw. His eyes were open now, and they were narrowed. His tail was twitching with irritation at being awoken. "Uh, good morning?" Echopaw mewed nervously. Flashpaw sat up and growled, but didn't speak. "Can I ask you a couple questions?" Echopaw asked.

"How about I ask _you _a question?" He snarled. "Why in the name of StarClan did you wake me up?" He got to his paws and glared down at Echopaw, who trembled. Flashpaw unsheathed his claws. "Answer me," he ordered.

"I-I, uh…" For a second, Echopaw _couldn't _remember why he had woken up Flashpaw, but then Goldenpaw padded in.

"Hey, Flashpaw, wake up, Falconshadow and Badgerbreeze want to take us hunting aga-" she started, but then she noticed Echopaw and blinked in surprise. "Echopaw? Why are you here?" She glanced at Flashpaw, who still had his claws out. "And Flashpaw, were you about to _attack _him? He's only six moons old!" Echopaw was a little hurt by her words. _Surely I could stand up to him? I'm not as weak as she makes me sound…_

"He woke me up," Flashpaw explained simply, sheathing his claws and blinking innocently at her. "I was only asking him why. I was having this great dream abou-"

"Doesn't matter what you were dreaming about!" Goldenpaw interrupted, clearly furious that Flashpaw would dare hurt a fellow apprentice over being something as simple as being woken up. "Would you attack me, too, if I was the one who woke you up? That's what Badgerbreeze sent me to do, anyway." Guilt flashed in Flashpaw's eyes momentarily and he seemed to shrink under her gaze, but then he straightened himself up and the guilt vanished.

"Of course I wouldn't attack you," he purred, padding over to her.

"Then why did you attack _him_?" Echopaw frowned. _She's talking about me as though I'm not even here! _

"I didn't lay a claw on him!" Flashpaw meowed indignantly. "Did I?" He turned to address Echopaw. Echopaw shook his head quickly. He didn't like to think about what would happen to him if he didn't. Plus, Flashpaw _hadn't _laid a claw on him… But he probably would have if Goldenpaw hadn't come in when she did.

"Well, I guess there's no point arguing about it then," Goldenpaw meowed with a sigh. She flicked her tail for Flashpaw to leave the den. "We should go. Our mentors will be waiting for us." She shot a sympathetic glance at Echopaw as Flashpaw padded past her into camp, grumbling to himself. "He's sweet, really, once you get to know him," She told him before following. _Well, I'm certainly not going to spend my time trying to get to know him…_ Echopaw thought, shuddering at the thought of voluntarily spending time with Flashpaw.

He quickly left the apprentices' den, and scanned the camp for Rushingriver. He met Flashpaw's gaze, and the apprentice glared at him as he trudged after his mentor. _I don't care if you hate me, _Echopaw thought. _I'm a medicine cat, and you can't hurt me. _For once, Echopaw was happy he wasn't training to be a warrior. _Not unless you want to break the warrior code, at least. And, knowing Flashpaw, he probably wouldn't hesitate to break a rule or two just to get his paws on me… _Echopaw padded up to Thistlewhisker, who was standing outside Frecklestar's den again. This time, however, he wasn't "guarding". He was organizing patrols.

"Thistlewhisker," Echopaw whispered to the deputy, who glanced at him, surprised by his sudden appearance. "Do you know where Rushingriver is?" Thistlewhisker shook his head apologetically. _I'm surprised he hasn't figured out I'm not following him by now, _Echopaw thought, heading towards the medicine den to wait for his mentor to return. _Unless he _has, _and he's just figuring out a punishment. _It was then that Echopaw remembered why he wasn't following Rushingriver in the first place. _Oh, mouse-dung! I was supposed to ask Flashpaw if he felt sick or not… Now I'll _definitely _be in trouble if I don't even have a good reason for still being in camp… Do medicine cat apprentices have to take care of the elders as punishment like warrior apprentices?_

"Helping the elders wouldn't be _too _bad a punishment," Echopaw mewed aloud.

"Oh, don't worry, you won't be helping the elders."


	9. Chapter 9

Echopaw practically jumped out of his fur at the voice. He turned around slowly, hoping that he was wrong about who he thought it was, but to his dismay, it was Rushingriver who was sitting there. "Why didn't you follow me?" He demanded. Echopaw flinched at his mentor's harsh tone. "I was going to teach you how to hunt. I thought you _wanted _to learn that?"

"I do, but Flashpaw-"

"Isn't sick. He's going hunting, for crying out loud! He's obviously fine if he has enough energy to go hunting." Rushingriver's eyes were blazing with fury, and his hackles were lifted. "I _told _you, Echopaw. Some cats are just like that! Not everybody is so sweet and innocent. But you didn't trust me, even though I've been a medicine cat for moons, while you were only apprenticed yesterday!" Echopaw closed his eyes, as though that would make Rushingriver's shouting easier to bear. But he opened them again when Rushingriver stopped yelling.

"Are you done?" he asked tentatively. He could tell Rushingriver was trying to find something to say next. His whiskers were trembling with fear, and Echopaw felt guilt flood him. His mentor had obviously been worried when he had noticed Echopaw was gone. "Goldenpaw just seemed so worried about him, and I thought if he _was _sick, and I cured him, you would be proud of me," Echopaw mewed quietly, staring at his paws. He was too ashamed to look at Rushingriver.

"Denmates worry about each other, sometimes, Echopaw, but it's not always for good reason," Rushingriver told him. He wasn't yelling anymore, but his words were still etched with anger. "It's a good thing Flashpaw's healthy. Maybe if you're lucky, he'll step on a thorn while he's out hunting and you can pull that out. But if you're really trying to impress me, you should just listen to what I tell you. Disobeying me won't make me any prouder of you." Echopaw knew he should be happy that no cats were sick, but he really just wanted to prove to himself that he was meant to be a medicine cat.

"Maybe I'm not cut out for this medicine cat stuff," he muttered.

"Nonsense," Rushingriver said sharply. His conviction surprised Echopaw. "You will be a great medicine cat, once you actually start treating cats. But since nobody's sick or injured right now, you'll just have to be patient and trust that StarClan made the right choice for you to be my apprentice." _He's so certain that I'll be great someday, but what if I'm not? What if I fail? _"But just because you'll be a great medicine cat someday, doesn't mean you won't still get punished when you do make mistakes. Just because your future is bright doesn't make it okay for you to disobey me." Echopaw groaned. _My punishment…_

"Maybe you shouldn't come to the Moonstone tonight," Rushingriver meowed. "Is that a good punishment?" Echopaw's eyes widened.

"You can't be serious!" He blurted before he could stop himself. "You're the one who wants me to go so badly. You can't make me stay here by myself. I want to meet the other medicine cats, and I want to speak to StarClan. I want StarClan to approve of me as ThunderClan's next medicine cat apprentice." Rushingriver flicked his tail for Echopaw to stop talking.

"Alright, you can come to the Moonstone," he sighed. "I just don't know how to punish you." A spark of hope lit in Echopaw. "But that doesn't mean you won't be punished," Rushingriver meowed quickly, seeming to guess Echopaw's thoughts. "I could ask Frecklestar, or, if it comes to it, even consult StarClan, but you _will_ be punished. You need to learn that you can't just ignore my orders."

"Okay, sorry, Rushingriver," Echopaw apologized sincerely. "I hope you can forgive me."

"I'm not mad at you, Echopaw," Rushingriver told him. "I was just scared when I saw you weren't following me. I thought a fox might have gotten you or something."

"Can we still go hunting?" Echopaw asked hopefully. Rushingriver shook his head.

"Not today. Maybe tomorrow, if you're lucky. But for now, we can just gather some more herbs," Rushingriver replied.

"_More _herbs? But you just gathered some the other day!" Echopaw complained. Rushingriver gazed sternly at him. "Sorry," Echopaw mumbled automatically.

"You never know when sickness might strike," Rushingriver meowed wisely. He flicked his tail for Echopaw to follow him. "I guess this will be your first formal tour of the territory, too." Excitement flowed through Echopaw as he raced out of camp. "Calm down, Echopaw, the leaves won't go anywhere," Rushingriver muttered.


End file.
